THOMASVILLE -- Once Kevin Kiser settled into his job as a counselor at the Mills Home, it didn't take long to notice some of the thingsthat his young charges liked to do.
"They liked to be outside," he said, "and they liked to ride their bicycles."
Soon, that general observation morphed into a very specific idea.
Kiser, an enthusiastic cyclist himself, launched into a project to build something called a "pump track" -- a small dirt bike track between some of the cottages where kids live in the largest of the Baptist Children's Homes 14 campuses.
With enough time, sweat equity and interest from the community, the kids could have a healthy outdoor activity, an outlet of their own within a structured environment.
"It allows them a place where they can escape and somewhere they can be happy," Kiser said. "It's a teachable activity, too. The bigger kids can help the smaller ones ... it's about taking care and responsibility."
Making the sale
To understand fully what Kiser is doing, it's helpful to know a little about the organization and the kids it serves.
Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina was founded in 1885 and is supported primarily by Baptist churches throughout the state. It has homes in 14 communities across North Carolina, including the Mills Home in Thomasville, where Kiser works with children as young as 8 and young people as old as 20.
Its mission statement pretty much speaks for itself: "Helping hurting children, healing broken families."
Kiser, a gentle 33-year-old who works at the home alongside his wife, is protective of the kids he works with and devoted to making their lives better.
It's never more apparent than when he's asked about progress on the track and how it all started.
"The most important thing is these kids. They're incredible," he said. "Some of them have had developmental issues. Some have had physical and mental issues (related to abuse). The caliber of these kids just blows my mind."
Once he started floating the pump-track idea two years ago, the children were an easy sell. Getting the adults -- especially those who understandably have to concern themselves with such things as insurance and liability -- on board took a little longer.
"I get that," Kiser said. "The administration was super and they worked real close with the insurance folks. They just wanted to make sure everything was right."
Moving to completion
With the administration's support locked down and the kids eager to get going, the next logical step was to scrounge for money.
Kiser applied for a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and started to work earlier this year. In February, the children started moving dirt -- more than 46 cubic yards to this point -- to smooth out a track, set up small jumps and build banked turns.
"We have a small shed to keep the bikes in, and, hopefully, a small repair shop," Kiser said. "We have a balancing element, a teeter-totter, and a learner's area with a gentle hill."
In May, the group learned that its grant had been approved by BCBS. The $5,000 is a pittance for a huge insurance company, but it was plenty enough to breathe life into a little project at Mills Home.
So far, there are seven working bicycles and a handful of bicycle tools. A wish list includes a bike-repair stand, some landscaping touches (perennial bulbs, mulch, fill dirt etc.), and perhaps some spare parts -- tires, inner tubes and the like.
For now, the emphasis is on finishing by Nov. 30 and giving kids a place where they can just be kids. Kiser is too modest to say so, but the track is also a testament to one young man's determination to do something good for children who could use a few good breaks.
ssexton@wsjournal.com
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